Electrical device for changing the direction of rotation of shafts.



M. J. DIKEMAN.

ELECTRICAL DEVICE FOR CHANGING THE DIRECTION OF ROTATION 0F SHAFTS.

' APPLICATION FILED JUNE 30,1913.

1,1993% Patented Feb. 1, 1916.

A TTORN E Y.

- IVITNESSES:

'work the driven shaft has to perform,

. 'UNITED STATES PATENT FFTCE.

MYRON J'. DIKEMAN, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

ELECTRICAL DEVICE FOR CHANGING THE DIRECTION OF ROTATION 0F SHAFTS.

Patented Feb. 1, 1916.

Application filed June 30, 1913. Serial No. 776,510;

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, 'MYRON J. DIKEMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, county of Wayne, State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Electrical Devices for Changing the Direction of Rotation of Shafts, and declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.-

T his invention relates to an electrical device for reversing the direction of rotation of shafts, and its object is a simple and efficient device controlled by an electric current whereby a shaft being rotated in one direction by the device may be practically instantly reversed in direction of rotation. Heretofore in apparatus of this general nature in which gears are shifted into and out of mesh to reverse the direction of rotation of a shaft, considerable lost motion Is involved but with the device herein described, the gears utilized in rotating the shaft in either direction are continuously in mesh, therefore the shifting of gears and consequent loss of motion and time is obviated.

The device may be made of various sizes for various purposes depending upon 1ghe ut is particularly adaptable for use With instruments of'considerable delicacy in operation such as, for instance, the surveying instrument disclosed in my pending application, Ser. No. 739,651, and may be utilized with instruments of various other natures in which it is desired to reverse the direction of rotation of the shaft without involving perceptible loss of motion or time in such operation. These and other objects and novelties of the invention are hereinafter more fully described and claimed and shown in the accompanying drawings which disclose the preferable forms of the device and in which- Figure 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of a device embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an alternative form of a portion of the device.

Similar characters refer to similar parts throughout the drawings and specification.

The device involves the use of a pair of ed upon the magnetic clutches and, consists essentially of a shaft 1, supported in any convenient manner as by the bearing brackets 2, 2, and is continuously driven in any convenient manner as by the power shaft 3 provided with a spur gear 1 meshingwith the corresponding gear 5 on the shaft 1.

Loosely mounted upon the shaft are two magnets 6 and 7 each provided with a bevel gear 8 and 9 respectively. 8 and 9 are continuously in mesh with the bevel gear 10 on a shaft 11 supported in any convenient manner as may be demanded by the nature of the work to be performed by said shaft.

As shown on the left of Fig; 1, the magnets are formed of soft metal shell and core preferably integrally formed providing anannular recess or chamber in which the coil of wire 12 is Wound one end of said wire being attached to the contact ring 13 mountexterior of the case and insulated therefrom by an insulating strip 14 and the opposite end of the wire-coil is connected with a like circumferential contact strip 15 mounted upon an insulating strip 16, the magnets 6 and 7 being substantially alike as to form and construction. The core. of each magnet is apertured longitudinally and centrally through which aperture in each magnet the shaft 1 passes and the core of the magnet is also recessed to receive the hub of the gear 8 or 9 which is keyed to the magnet. On the shaft, preferably within the core of the magnet, isa collar 17 pinned to the shaft and located between the hub of the gear and the bottom of the recess in the core whereby the magnet is held from longitudinal movement on the shaft, but, as before stated, the gears keyed to the magnet as well as the magnet are loosely mounted upon the shaft so that the shaft 1 may turn without corresponding rotation of the magnet.

plined to the shaft 1 and contiguous to the faces of the magnets, opposite the gears 8 and 9, are circular armature plates 18 and 19, and as shown in Fig. 1 in section the armature l8, and likewise armature 19, is

of the magnet case 1s roughened or serrated The bevel gears I whereby the armature, when brought into engagement with the magnet case, will not tend to slip thereon when rotated.

Analternative arrangement of the contact surfaces between thearmature and the magnet case is shown in Fig. in which the armature 18 has a. flange 19 having an annular or cone-shaped face adapted to engage with alike tapered face on the edge of the magnet case 20. These tapered surfaces are formed at an angle of about 1% degrees, at which angle the faces will not tend. to stick and prevent a release of the armature from the magnet, but, nevertheless, such tapered faces are desirable in such instances where considerable power is to be transmitted by the armature to the driven shaft 11.

Themagnet T is provided with circumferential contact strips 21 and 22 similar to the strips 13 and 15 of the magnet 6. A means for supplying current to the magnets is shown diagrammatically in Fig. 1, in which the brushes 28 and 24, 25, and 26, are shown in contact with the corresponding contact strips 15, 13, 22 and 21 respectively. The two brushes 21 and 25 are con nected by the line 27 to one side of a source of electric energy upon the opposite side of which may be provided a switch member 29 properly located relative to the contact points 30 and 31, the contact point 30 being connected by line 82 tothe brush 26, while the contact point 31 is connected by aline 33 to the brush 23, and by moving the switch point 29 upon the contact point 30 current will be passed through the magnet 7 while if it be placed upon the contact point 31 current will flow through the magnet 6. As before stated the wiring showiris purely diagrammatic and illustrative simply of a means whereby current may be allowed to flow through one or the other of the magnets, and while I have shown a switch and contact points for such purpose. the arrangement by which current is allowed to flow through one or the other of the mag nets may be of any desired form adaptable for the purpose. as may be determined by the nature of the work to be performed which may be of various natures and forms no part of this invention.

Nith a shaft 1 continuously rotated in one direction in any convenient manner, as by the power-shaft 3 heretofore mentioned, and with the switch open, as shown in Fig. 1, the rotation of the shaft willhave no effect upon the magnets which will remain stationary, but, if current be allowed to flow through the coil of the magnet 6, the armature 18 will be drawn into engagement With magnet case which will rotate the magnet by reason of the fact that the armature is in keyed relation with the shaft and r0tation of the magnet (i will produce a rotation of the shaft 11 and also a rotation of the magnet 7 in an opposite direction by reason of its being loose upon the shaft and the armature 19 out of contact therewith. If now it be desired to rotate the shaft 11 in the opposite direction, the switch member 29 is placed in contact with the point 30, ,releasing the magnet 6 from the effect of the current which allows the armature 18 t0 revolve independently of the magnet 6, and simul taneously allows current to flow through the magnet 7 bringing the armature 19 into en gagement with the face thereof and causing it to rotate with the armature and in the same direction as the magnet 6 in theprior instance. but by reason of the gear 9 being upon that side of the gear 10 opposite to the gear 8, the gear 10 and shaft 11 will be made to revolve in a direction reverse to that produced by rotation of the magnet 6.

Vhile. in the arrangement shown, the shaft 1 is simply supported at each. end in bearings, I do not wish to limit myself to such exact construction shown. as the magnetic clutches and gears 8 and 9 may be located upon any driving or driven shaft in the described relation with the gear 10 and shaft 11, or shaft and gear corresponding thereto. without departing from the spirit of this invention.

\Vhat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is Ina device of the kind described. the combination of a continuously rotatable shaft,

a pair of gears loosely mounted thereon, a work shaft, a gear on said work shaft continilously in mesh with each of said pair of gears, a magnet for each of said pair of gears, said magnet being recessed to receive the gear hub to which it is keyed, a collar in the bottom of said recess secured to the shaft whereby a displacement of the magnet longitudinally of the shaft is prevented, an armature for each magnet splined to. the continuously rotatable shaft, and means for producing a flow of electric current through one or the other of said magnetsfi Intestlmony whereof, I. sign this'specificatio'n 1n the presence of two witnesses.

MYRON J. DIKEMAN. 

